Automobile signaling device.



G. W. ALBRIGHT.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNALING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR-9.1917.

1,301,212. Patented Apr. 22,1919.

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' improvement.

PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES ono'nen w. Anagram, or xairsiis CITY, ms'sotmr nu'roilonrmsremmme nnvrcn.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'kn'own that I, G ORGE W. Ammon'r, a citizenof' the'United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State-of 1Missouri, have. invented a certain new and useful Improvementlit-Automobile Signaling Devices, of' which the following.

is a specification.

My invention arelates. to improvements in automobile signaling devices.

The object ofmy invention is to provide a novel, simple andefiici'entsignalmg device with which an automobile operator may, withoutremoving his hands from the steerin wheel, indicate'the course he isabout to ta e, whether to the right or left or forward or backward. I

' My invention provides further controlling devices carried by thesteering wheel at the right and left sides thereof respectively, bywhich the operator may, withoutremoving his hands from the steeringwheel, actuate selectively difl'erent signals for indicating thecourse'which he is about to take,

My invention provides still further novel manually releasable means forholdingthe signaling controlling devices carried by the steering wheelin their active positions.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In'the accompanying drawing which illustrates the preferred embodimentof my invention, I

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away,-of an automobileprovided with my Fig. .2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view onthe line 2--2 of Fig. 3, showing a portion of a steering wheel and oneset' of circuit closers and parts connected therewith and operable inconnection there-. with carriedthereby; Y

.Fig. 3 is a plan view of what Fig. 2.

is shown in Fi 4 is an enlarged horizontal section on the line H of Fig.1, showing one group of lamps.

Fig. 5-- is a plan view, reduced, of a steering wheel provided with myimproved circuit closer mechanism. 1 j v Fig. '6 is a diagrammatic viewof the electric circuit employed-in connection with my improvement- 1designates an automobile body carrying the usual steering wheel. 2,mounted on a Specification-o1 Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 22, 1919-Application fiat-ch 9 1517. Serial K0. 158,753 i On the body 1, forwardof the steering wheel 2 is mounted a casing 4 which is provided witha-transparent globe-5 whichincloses four incandescent electric lam sdesignated respectively by W, G, R and f, which are preferablyrespectively white, green, red and purple in color. a v.

A casing 6, similar to the casing 4, is mounted on the body 1 adjacentto the rear end thereof and is provided with a trans parent globe 7which incloses a group of four incandescent lamps designated by W, G, Rand P, whichare respectively white, green, red and purple in color.

R'When lighted, the white lights V and \V may indicate that theautomobile operator.

' operate any one'of .the pairs of lamps of the same color independentlyof the other lamps. This controlling mechanism comprises two sets ofcontrolling devices mounted respectively at opposite sides of the wheel2, so that the operator may operate one set of devices with the righthand and the other set of devices with the left hand. As these two setsof controlling devices are alike, a description of one set will answerfor both, the set chosen for such description being the set onthe-rightside of the steering wheel.

Mounted in a recess provided in the top of the wheel 2 is a curved box 9having mounted on its top a sheet of insulating material 10, such asvulcanized fiber or hard rubber, the box being provided with a cover 11which is secured to the box by screws 12 which enter the wheel 2. In thebox 9 is-a push buttoncircuit closer, consisting of a spring contactplate 13 secured to and in electrical connection with the box 9, andwhichzis adapted to be struck by a spring contact plate 14, which hasoneend secured to the topofan insulating-tn e 15 by a screw-1 6 mountedin the upper end thereof.

Another circuit closer of the push button .-per side of the type ismounted in the box 9 and comprises a spring contact ottom of the box 9and adapted to be struck by a spring contact plate 18 which has one endsecured by a screw 19 to the top of an insulating tube 20.

The insulating tubes 15 and 20 have their lower ends rigidly securedrespectively in two holes provided inthe bottom of the Two pushbuttons21 and 22 are secured respectively to the uppersides of thespring contact plates 14 and 18 and are vertically movable in holesprovided therefor in the ,cover 11. \Vhen the push buttons 21 and 22 aredepressed until theplates 14 and 18 respectively strike the plates 13and 17, the circuit will be closed through these two circuit closers.

For holding the contact plates 14 and 18 releasably in the closed 'position', I provide a pair of spring actuated catches 23 and 24, whichare respectively pivoted on transverse pins 25 and26, the ends of whichare mounted in opposite 'sides' qof the box 9. The catches 23 and 24'areprovided respectively with hooks'27 and 28, which are adapted torespectively engage and hold the contact plates 14 and 18, when thelatter are depressed by the push buttons 21 and 22 so as to contact andhave electrical connection with the contact plates 13 and 17 Forswinging the catches 23 and 24 out of engagement with the plates 14 and18, I provide a push button 29 which is slidably mounted in a verticalhole in the center of the cover 11 and which bears against, the uppersides of the catches 23 and 24 intermediate of the pins 25 and 26. Theupward movement of the push button 29 is limited by an annularperipheral flange 30 thereon, which is adapted to strike the insulatingplate l0 1 For normally forcing the catches 23 and 24 and the pushbutton 29 to the normal position, that is, the'position in which thecatches will engage the'contact plates 14 and 18, I provide a bow spring31, the ends 'ggf which rest 'upon the bottom of the box 9; and thecentral portion of which bears against the under side of the catches 23and' 24 intermediate of the pins 25 and 26.

The spring 31 is provided with a central hole, through which extends acentral projection 32 at the lower end of the push but ton 29, thusserving to hold the spring 31 in its proper position. I

Referring to Fig. 6, 33 designates a conductor which connects the rightand left springcontact plates 1, 3 in the boxes 9, and which. includessaid boxes. I Two conductors 34 and 35 are respectively connected to theright and left contact plates 17, which are respectively mounted in thetwo boxes 9. The conductor 34 is late 17 secured to the upconnected tothe conductor 33. The conductor 35 is connected to a conductor 36 whichis connected at one end to the conductor 33, and which is connected atits other end to one pole of the battery 8, the other pole of which isconnected to a conductor 37, the ends of which are respectivel connectedto one set of terminals of the vliimps \V and R. Conductors 38 and 39are connected to the conductor 37 and are respectively connected to oneset 'of terminals of the lamps G and P, the other set of terminals ofwhich are respectively connected by conductors 40 and 41 to one set ofterminals of the lamps G and P, the other set of terminals of which arerespectively secured to conductors 42 and 43, which are respectivelyconnected to the right and left contact plates18,

The other set of terminals of the lamps N and R arerespectivelyconnected to two conductors 44 and 45,which are respectively connectedto one set of terminals of the lamps W and R, the other set of terminalsof which are connected to conductors 46 and 47 respectively, which arein turn respec tively connected to the right and left contact plates 14.

lVhen the operator desires to signal that his, course will bestraight-ahead, and'desires to indicate this by lighting the whitelights V and: WV, he depresses the right push button 2%, upon which thecurrent from the battery will pass by the conductor 36 and the conductor33 to the right spring contact plate 13, through which the current willpass to and through the right contact plate 14 and thence throughconductor 46, lamp W, conductor 44, lamp W and thence back to thebattery 8 through the conductor 37.

If the right push button 22 is depressed to the closed position, thecurrent from the battery 8 will pass by conductors 36, 33 and 34 to theright contact plate 17 and thence 37. Thegreen lights G and G will thusbe lighted, indicating that the operator is going to turn to the right.

To indicate that he is going to turn to the left, he depresses the leftpush button 21, upon which the current will pass from the battery 8through conductors 36 and 33, left contact plates 13 and 14, conductor47 lamp R, conductor 45, lamp R and 'conductor 37 back to the battery 8.

To indicate that, the operator 'is going to back up, the left pushbutton 22 is depressed, upon whichthe currentwill pass from the battery8 through conductors 36 and 35, left contact plates17 and 18, conductor43, lamp P, conductor 41, lamp P, and conductors 39 and 37 back to thebattery 8.

The lamps which are lighted will remain so until the oper tor depressesthe proper push button 29.' 'f either the white or green lights W and Gare lighted, to discontinue them, he depresses the right push button 29,and he depresses the left push button 29 in order to put out either thered or purple lights.

The wires from the boxes 9 and the screws 16 and 19 of the two sets ofcontrolling devices may be carried from the steering whee-l 2 to thesteering post 3 and from thence to the lamps and battery as indicated inFig. 6.

I do not limit my invention to the structure shown and described, asmodifications, within the scope of the appended claim, may be madewithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is The combination with two contact members comprising eacha spring plate having a push button attached thereto, of two pivotedcatches arranged to respectively engage and hold said contact members inthe closed position, a push button for simultaneously engaging andswinging said catches to positions in which the contact members will bereleased, and a spring for forcing said last named push button and saidcatches to a position in which the catches will be adapted to engagewith the'contact members when the latter are moved to the closedposition.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE W. ALBRIGHT.

